


Maybe One Day

by aquilaofarkham



Category: Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed III - Fandom
Genre: Babysitting, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Singing, Wishful Thinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-13
Packaged: 2018-06-02 02:23:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6546676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquilaofarkham/pseuds/aquilaofarkham
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor agrees to babysit Warren and Prudence's newborn child Hunter while the two of them leave the Homestead for just one night.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Maybe One Day

It was late afternoon when Connor knocked on Warren and Prudence’s door. As he waited patiently, he looked down at the quaint basket put together by Diana. It in was a whole manner of medicinal tonics and herbs specially made by her. Well over a month had passed since Prudence gave birth, but Diana and Dr. White still took regular visits just to make sure she and Hunter were both doing well.

That particular day Connor volunteered to deliver the basket of goods in their steads. He had been so busy with other matters and saw it as a perfect opportunity to finally see how the new family was faring. Everyone in the Homestead knew about the continuous hardships they had endured before the birth of Hunter.

For every step of the way, Connor offered them any and all support he could give. From their livestock being slaughtered by the King’s men to Prudence’s unlucky encounter with a bear, he witnessed it all. He always gave them words of optimism yet he of all people felt panicked, even scared when the day finally came. But Prudence was strong and after an entire hour of agony went by at a grueling pace, she held a healthy newborn baby in her arms with an overjoyed look on her face.

“Good day, Connor!” Warren cheerfully greeted him after answering the door. Connor smiled and gave him a friendly nod.

“How are you, Warren?”

“Very well. And yourself?”

“Things are good. I have a delivery for Prudence.”

“Well then come in! She will be very happy to see you.”

Connor had never been inside the home of Warren and Prudence. He was very familiar with their farmland, especially when it came to lending a hand with daily errands, but not with the small house right next to the animal pens. Walking through the door, Connor liked it immediately. It didn’t need much, just the necessities; a large stone fireplace used to make food and warm up the building during the winter, a place to eat, and finally a tight staircase leading up to what he presumed were sleeping quarters.

But there was a certain rustic and hospitable quality to the house. Connor felt glad that the two of them were able to make a new home that kept its tenants warm, happy, and above all, safe.

Next to the one of the windows sat Prudence with a sewing kit in her lap. She was always busy with something, whether it was farm work or turning a few simple pieces of cloth into a nightie fit for a baby. “Connor!” She exclaimed, getting up to welcome him properly. “This is quite the pleasant surprise.”

“How are you feeling, Prudence?”

“Much better, thank you.”

“And Hunter?”

“He is doing fine as well. Very hungry and very restless, but the most wonderful child Warren and I could ever ask for.”

“That is good to hear.”

“What can we do for you today?”

“Actually, I have something for you from Diana.” He said as he politely handed Prudence the basket.

“What a lovely gesture!” She said, sifting through its contents. “I shall give her my thanks when I see her. And thank you for bringing it, Connor.”

“It was my pleasure. If either of you need anything else, please let me know.”

“Now that you mention it…” Warren began, wrapping his arm around Prudence’s shoulder. “We do need help with one more thing. A week ago I placed an order for a new set of farming equipment that should be arriving today. The only problem is the nearest post office is miles away and even if we were to leave right now, we would still have to stay at a local inn. But only for the night.”

“It would take at least two people to transport everything back home but I cannot leave Hunter alone,” Prudence added.

Connor already had a vague idea of what they were trying to ask him and so he decided to lessen their anxieties. “I can stay with Hunter while you are gone.”

“Are you certain? I know that we have asked you for so much already.”

“One more favour will not be the end of me. It would be no trouble at all.”

Prudence looked so relieved she nearly embraced him, as did Warren. “We cannot thank you enough, Connor. Please, follow me.” She led Connor up the stairs and into their room where a small crib built out of various pieces of rustic wood sat close to the bed. Inside it laid Hunter, fast asleep underneath a light blanket. Careful not to wake him, Prudence carefully picked him up and held him in her arms.

“He has been growing so much lately,” she said, allowing Connor to take a look. As he smiled, he chuckled quietly at her remark; to him, Hunter seemed just as tiny as he was when Connor saw him for the first time. “Would you like to hold him?”

“I... is… is it alright?”

“Yes, of course it is. Just be gentle and watch his head.”

When Prudence offered Hunter to him, Connor remained still, hesitating for a brief moment before cautiously taking the small fidgeting bundle from her. He awkwardly stood there, not moving an inch, holding him as thought he was made entirely out of glass. Doubtful thoughts began to set in; was he really the right person to look after a baby, even if it was for a short amount of time? He couldn’t even hold Hunter without turning into a nervous wreck.

“Prudence,” Warren called from downstairs. “We should get ready to leave.”

“I will be right there!” She turned to Connor and placed her hands on his shoulders in a reassuring manner. “It will only be for the night, I promise. Warren and I will return come morning.”

“Of course. I hope you both have a safe journey.” After placing Hunter back into the crib, he said his goodbyes. Even though he still felt uncertain about his skills as parental figure (albeit a temporary one), Connor was determined to give their child as much care and attention as possible.

For the next hour after they left, he busied himself with making dinner while Hunter slept on. The evening was turning out to be surprisingly quiet and peaceful. Connor began to wonder why he felt so anxious beforehand when he suddenly heard a soft cry coming from the bedroom. He placed his food off to the side and rushed upstairs as it grew in volume with every high-pitched sob.

“Shhh,” he cooed, lifting Hunter into his arms. “I am here now. It is all right.” Connor tried to fix the situation through more comforting words and actions, from patting his back to gently rocking him from side to side. Yet nothing seemed to be working. Hunter continued to cry so much, it was making Connor distressed as well.

 _Maybe he is hungry._ But when offered some milk from a small bottle, Hunter refused to drink any of it. Panicked, Connor was at a complete lost. He wasn’t hungry, didn’t have an accident, and wouldn’t go back to sleep. Perhaps he just missed his mother and wanted her to come home. Soon the very same doubtful thoughts Connor felt before started creeping back. There had to be some way to calm Hunter down.

A simple but hopefully effective idea came to Connor. Sitting down in the nearest chair, he supported Hunter in one arm while his free hand reached behind his head and plucked off the feather attached to his hair band. “Look, look at this,” he whispered after calmly shushing Hunter again. Connor dangled the feather above his face and the cries quickly devolved into a few curious whimpers.

As Hunter stared in utter fascination at the strange new item, he occasionally tried to reach out and grab hold of it with his tiny fingers. He even let out a happy squeal when Connor brushed the tip of the feather ever so gently along his cheek.

Then he thought of something from his own youth, a time that seemed so far behind him but one that Connor still fondly recalled. A song that was sung by Kaniehtí:io and Iakoiá:ner whenever he couldn’t get to sleep or needed comforting. Holding Hunter with both hands, he tried to remember how it went before the first few lyrics came to him.

“ _Wakatshennón:ni_ ,” Connor began in a soft voice. “ _Wakatshennón:ni nó:nen ioráhkote nátste'. Wakatshennón:ni wakatshennón:ni nó:nen ioráh – kote._ ”

He continued singing, never going too fast or too loudly, and watched as Hunter eventually fell back asleep. Connor waited for another minute, making sure that everything was all right. His dinner had most likely gone cold but he didn’t care about it.

At that moment, another memory, a much newer one, slipped into his train of thought. _Perhaps when this is all over, I will be able to settle and have a family. I hope._ That was Connor’s response when Dobby inquired into why he remained a single man with no children. Yet after taking the time to really think about it, he didn’t know whether that day would come or not. Not for certain at least. He still wanted to start a family of his own, more than anything despite his initial worries of becoming a father. After seeing how happy Warren and Prudence were with their child, how could he not?

 _Maybe one day_ , Connor thought as he carried Hunter back upstairs. _Maybe…_

**\--**

Early morning came sooner than expected as Connor lazily woke up to the sound of the front door creaking opened. He blinked a couple times and saw that he was barely able to make it into bed. Instead, he had fallen asleep in a nearby chair with Hunter curled up against his chest. At least they both got a decent night’s rest.

Carefully standing up after placing him into the crib, Connor sauntered the steps to greet Warren and Prudence. Before they could say one word to him, he raised his finger to his lips so that none of them would disturb Hunter. “I trust you two had a safe trip,” he said quietly.

“Safe, yes. It was also long and hard on our backsides,” Warren chuckled while Prudence removed her shawl. “But we are just glad to finally return home. How are you, Connor? I hope the little one did not give you too much grief last night.”

“None at all. I would be happy to look after him again.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” Prudence chimed in. “Because… well, we have a proposition for you.”

“What is it?”

“We have been talking about this, and… from the moment we first met you Connor, you have done so much good for us. Even when it was hard to put our trust into anyone, we thought of you as our closest friend, and we still do. I suppose what we are trying to say is… would you be Hunter’s godfather?”

Connor had been caught off guard by many things before, but he never expected to hear a request like Prudence’s. Despite the surprise reaction, he already had his answer.

“We wanted to ask you sooner but decided to wait until it was the right time-“

“Yes. Absolutely.” He didn’t even need to think twice about it. “It would be an honour.”

Warren and Prudence looked at their friend with beaming expressions before thanking him profusely. Connor wasn’t entirely certain about the duties that came with being a godfather, but he had always been a fast learner. He promised to do right by his newfound family.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the headcanon that Connor must have cared for baby Hunter at least a couple times. A fluff prompt that I sort of got carried away with, but still a really sweet one to write~


End file.
